Pennsylvania § 7214 - Urban search and rescue response teams.

§ 7214. Urban search and rescue response teams.

(a) Establishment.--

(1) The agency shall establish urban search and rescue response teams throughout this Commonwealth to respond to natural and human-caused disasters and other emergencies as deemed necessary by the agency, including:

(i) At least one urban search and rescue response team that:

(A) is within a regional counterterrorism task force covering a county of the first class pursuant to a letter of agreement with a sponsoring agency; and

(B) meets or exceeds the minimum requirements of a Type 1 urban search and rescue task force as defined by FEMA in the resource-typing definition contained in the NIMS guidelines, document identification number 8-508-1262, published in September 2020. The agency will certify whether the urban search and rescue response team meets these criteria.

(ii) At least one urban search and rescue response team that:

(A) is within a regional counterterrorism task force covering a county of the second class; and

(B) by January 1, 2026, or 18 months after the agency enters into a letter of agreement with a sponsoring agency, whichever is later, meets or exceeds the minimum requirements of a Type 3 urban search and rescue task force as defined by FEMA in the resource-typing definition contained in the NIMS guidelines, document identification number 8-508-1262, published in September 2020. The agency will certify whether the urban search and rescue response team meets these criteria.

(2) The provisions of paragraph (1)(i) may be satisfied by the operation of an urban search and rescue response team established by the Federal Government that has a letter of agreement with the agency to respond to incidents within this Commonwealth.

(b) Support.--The urban search and rescue response teams shall also provide professional, logistical, material and other forms of support to regional counterterrorism task forces and specialized regional counterterrorism response teams.

(c) Organization.--An urban search and rescue response team shall be organized in accordance with guidelines developed by the agency in coordination with FEMA and members of the task force.

(d) Responsibilities.--An urban search and rescue response team shall respond to actual or potential disasters in this Commonwealth and shall also perform search and rescue functions as delineated in The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 93-288, 42 U.S.C. § 5121 et seq.), the Federal Response Plan or its successor, Emergency Management Assistance Compact missions under Chapter 76 (relating to Emergency Management Assistance Compact), as requested, and the counterterrorism preparedness and response plans created in accordance with this chapter.

(e) Activation and deployment.--

(1) An urban search and rescue response team or any of its components, subgroups or regional elements may only be activated and deployed to the scene of a disaster in accordance with policies and cost principles promulgated by the agency.

(2) During an activation and deployment as the result of a Governor's declaration of a disaster emergency, the administrative and operational costs of the response team, its individual members and their employers, State agencies and other parties shall be paid under the Governor's declaration of disaster emergency, including paying or reimbursing any parties for workers' compensation and death benefits in the event of injury or death of an urban search and rescue response team member.

(f) Workers' compensation and death benefits.--A member of an urban search and rescue response team shall be eligible to receive workers' compensation and death benefits in the event of injury or death that occurs during the period of activation or deployment.

(g) Funding, grants and donations.--In addition to money that is provided to a task force under section 7216 (relating to grant program) or the authority of section 1508 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, the urban search and rescue response team may be eligible to receive grants, donations of equipment and supplies and other funds from any source.